Means and method of delinting cottonseed hulls



Aug. 20, 1929. c BQTHWELL T AL 1,725,389

MEANS AND METHOD OF DELINTING COTTON SEED HULLS Filed June 18, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS A g- 20, 1929- c. L. BOTHWELL ET AL 1,725,389

MEANS AND METHOD OF DELINTING COTTON SEED BULLS Filed June 18. 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS 'ATTORN EY.

1929- c. L. BOTHWELL ET AL 1,725,389

MEANS AND METHOD OF DELIN'I'ING COTTON SEED BULLS ATTORNEY.

INVENTORS g- 1929- c. L. BOTHWELL ET AL 1,725,389

IEANS AND METHOD OF DELINTING COTTON SEED HULLS Filed June 18, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS 4 ATTORNEY C. L. BQTHWELL ET AL Filed June 18. 1928 4 J u 9,, m w m M w on 00000 000 00 cocoa o o no... no 00000 f.

Aug. 20, 1929.

MEANS AND METHOD OF DELINTING cowron sman BULLS h I I Bill DI I l I l I i D P lbpil Brim Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CECIL L. BOTHWELL, KIRTLAND C. BARTON, AND ROSCOE C. BARTON, OF EAST ST. LOUIS, ILLINOIS.

MEANS AND METHOD OI DELINTING COTTONSEED HULLS.

Application filed June 18,

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in means and method of delinting cotton seed hulls and other material, the peculiarities of which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

The main object of our invention is to provide means and method for removing the short fibers remaining on decorticated hulls of cotton seed for example, and to separate the fibers from the shells so that each product-the separated fibers and the shells,-is better adapted to the desired use; secondly, to subject the feed material to a whirling gravitating motion during which the fibers are detached from the hulls and removed from the Zone of operation, while the shells and the more or less delinted hulls continue their whirling gravitating motion under further delinting operation; thirdly, to produce a rolling over motion of the whirling material, thus tending to bring all portions of it next to the perforations of an enclosing screen through which the fibers are drawn by air suction, leaving the shells and hull particles to proceed gravitatingly do vnward in whirling spiral motion; fourthly, to. exert increasing suction on the spirally descending material, and then diminish the suction effect as the shells forming the delinted hull particles approach the end of the gravitating motion and point of discharge; and to other .features hereindescribed and claimed.

The term hulls refers to the shells with attached .fibcrs, while the delinted hulls are termed shells.

In the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts, i

Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of a machine exemplifying our invention;

Fig. 2, a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 3, a sectional plan view below the driving pulley in Fig. 1;

Fig. l, a similar view on a horizontal plane through the line fr-4'. of Fig. 1;

Fig. 1 a detail view of an adjusting screw; and

Fig. 5, a. sectional elevation on the vertical plane 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The numerals 66 designate rolled steel beams or other suitable support for a base plate 7, having a suitable bearing 8 for the lower end of a vertical rotary shaft 9 provided with a driving pulley 10 for belting 1928. Serial No. 286,334.

to a motor or other power source, by open or crossed belt thus alternately effecting rotation in either direction, for purpose described later.

- The upper end of said shaft is mounted -in a suit-able bearing 11 carried by a top disc plate 12 supported by four pipe colums 13 from the said base plate, and fastened by through rods 14 inside the columns and extending above and below corresponding apertured corner lugs on the top and base plate respectively. The lower ends of the rods preferably pass through the .outer flanges of said beams 6 and end nuts secure the pipe columns and plates firmly together.

Approximately midway of these two plates, a middle plate 15 having corresponding corner lugs embracing the columns, is supported by set collars 16 or otherwise. A depending pan 17, preferably conical, is mounted in a large central opening in this middle plate, and from its bottom a discharge pipe slants off to one side and has a slide valve 19 at its lower end for outlet for the delinted hull particles as will be described later. A pipe 20 encloses the shaft passing through said pan, and ends below a collar 21 on the shaft, that supports a rotor cylinder comprising a series of spaced discs 22 having holes near their periphery through which pass vertical rods 23 on which are pivotally mounted at regular intervals, thin blades 2% projecting from the spaces between the discs and operable in a series of horizontal planes and forming six rows or other suitable numbercircumferentially, and equidistant from the shaft. The ends of said blades are preferably notched as shown in Fig. 4, forming multiple cutting points for tearing the fibers from the hulls. The said rods 23 can be removed through holes 25 in the top plate, for renewing the blades.

At the end of the central opening of the middle. plate is an upstanding circular rib 26, the outer vertical face of which forms a circular shoulder that is only slightly larger in diameter than the operative diameter of the outer ends of said blades. A similar rib 27 depends from the top plate. A vertical arcuate cage, preferably comprising a perforated screen 28 and a ribbed .frame 29, is mounted against these shoulders.

The cage is preferably made in several convenient sections bolted together at the 'let air in and shells out.

sides; Fig. 4 shows one section at the left removed, as also in Figs. 1 and 5, for convenience in illustration. Cap bolts -or other fastening means such as rods 31, Fig. l,pass down through holes in the top plate and adjacentend of the frame, to fasten the cage sections in place; similar bolts 32 passing upward through holes in the middle plate and bottom of the cage sections, fasten the bottom of the cage.

This arcuate screen cage may make a complete enclosing circle about the rotor cylinder if desired, but it is preferred to provide a serrated plate 33 in place of one screen section and make perforations therein of somewhat larger opening than the. screen, to These perforations are preferably tapering with large end outward, and located between serrations which are preferably vertical and rounded as shown rather than sharp, adapted for tearing the fibers from the shells rather than grinding the shells as they successively spiral past in their whirling gravitating descent. This plate is preferably made in three pieces and adjustable by means of two stud bolts 34 near the middle of each piece, that extend outward through a vertical bar support 35 in the middle of the open space in the back, and spaced from the cage. Locking set screws 36 mounted in wall plate portions 35 as shown in Fig. f opposite the corners of said pieces, oppose the pull of the stud bolts 34C for adjustment of said serrated plate pieces to the operative circle of the blades. The said ribs 26 and 27 are cut away opposite the serrated plate to allow adjustment, and the vertical sides of adjacent screen sections guide the serrated plate as shown in F ig. 4c and are preferably widened to engage said plate portions at each side of the open space in the back of the casin The "till plate portions 35' at the back are supplemented by easing wall plates 37 at both the sides, (one at the left in Figs. 1, f and 5, for clearness) hinged by pivot bolts 38 mounted in holes in the top plate and the middle plate. These enclosing vall plates are detachably mounted in any suitable manner, such as by bolts through their side edge flanges to channel posts 39 with curved backs that are fastened to the pipe columns (Fig. 4). The side plates serve as doors which swing out on their hinges as indicated, after the fastening bolts are removed. Access to the screen sections and rotor. blades for removal and replacement through these doors, is thus afforded. The top and bottom edges set against the shoulders of recesses 40 and 41 respectively, so

that an annular chamber 42 between said screen sections and wall plates, is provided for the fibers drawn throu h the screen on route to a front outlet ll of a header casing 43 that extends the full height of the space between the top and middle plates, and is bolted to a rib 3 on the middle plate. This forms a frontoutlet for air andfibers dia metrically oppositethe serrated plate section of the cage. No air inlet openings are preferably made in said wall plates.

The shoulders 26 and 27 are in the same cylindrical plane concentric with the rotor, and the shoulders of the recesses l0 and 4-1 are in a cylindrical plane of larger radius though preferably also concentric with the rotor. To facilitate placing and removing the cage sections, the wall sections and their recesses are of greater height than the cage sections. A cap screw through the wall plates at intervals bears on the cage to press it firmly against the shoulders 26 and 27. A collar at said opening 44 adapts it for air pipe connection to an exhaust fan for producing a partial vacuum in said chamber 42.

The top plate has a series of air inlet holes .5 (Fig. 2), located outside the discs 22 and inside of the screen circle; also a feed inlet 46 between the serrated plate andthe discs. These inlet openings are adapted to deliver air currents and feed material upon the up per faces and the spaces between the side edges of the blades.

The operation is as follows: The feed material is fed. to the feed inlet by any suitable regulating feed device and as it passes below the feed inlet it is met by tae rapidly revolving blades of the rotor. As it flows between and upon the upper faces of the blades, it is deflected outward against the serrated plate and screen, andthe notched ends of said blades with their multiple corner edges, tear off the fibers from the hulls as they gravitate downward. The blades will cause a whirling motion and gravity a downward motion; the resultantmovement is a downward spirally moving film of mate rial travelling against the inner face of the serrated plate and screen. The induced air currents entering said inlets pass down ward inside this film, and seeking exit through the perforations, carrying the fibers through the screen into the annular chamber 4l-2 and thence to the exhaust pipe. The perforations are about 1/32 and check the hull particles which continue their clown- .ward spiral movement. As they successive ly pass the serrated plate, the serrations retard the travelling particles more than when they are in contactwith the screen, and cause the inner particles to roll over the outer particles successively, facilitating the exit of shells through the comparatively large perforations of the serrated plate and separation of the fibers by the incoming air currents.

This retarding or lag of the outer'particles and resultant rolling over each other of all portions in passing the serrated plate,

stirs up the spiralling film and brings all portions of it successively to the outer zones where the fibers most quickly find exit through the perforations, and are separated from the shell particles. This rolling-over motion takes place again and again as each portion of the film of material gravitates downward and spirally passes the serrated plate successively lower down, till the bottom pan is reached. By this time, under the successive operation of the blades at different levels and the adjacent serrations, the fibers have been practically removed from the hull particles and drawn out through the perforations either immediately after passing the serrated plate or soon afterwards, as the rolling over motion brings them into direct contact-with the screen.

The air currents from the top see-king the shortest path to the annular chamber, act to carry away the longest fibers first torn off, through the upper portions of the screen; but the feed film is thickest near the top and diminishes downward as the fibers are drawn outward through the screen, and mostly shell particles remain spiralling downward. The perforations in the middle horizontal plane of the screen are therefore freer of the long fibers of the primary operation, and afford passage to the shorter fibers of later reduction which latter also pass more freely through the perforations.

In addition, the air suction is at its maximum adjacent the front outlet, and lessens the further away the screen perforations are located from said outlet. The lighter suction below the central horizontal plane corresponds to the smaller shell particles from later reductions, and lessens any danger of their being drawn outward through the screen perforations.

The air currents from the air inlet openings above flow along with the whirling gravitating film of material under defibrating operation in the same general direction but seeking exit with the fibers through the screen perforations. Combining with and supplementing these air currents from above, those entering through the perforations of the serrated plate pass inward through the agitated rolling over film, separate the fibers from the shells and carry them, through the screen perforations, while the shells pass outward through the larger perforations of the serrated plate but are checked b the screen from passing into the outer annular chamber; the suction on the whirling spirally descending film reaches a maximum near the central horizontal plane through the outlet pipe; and the suction diminishes while the feed becomes correspondingly smaller in size of particles as it nears the bottom pan for shells where they are brought to rest and can be discharged through the slide.

The rotor cylinder can be reversed by changing the belt from open to crossed or vice versa, (or by other means) so as to clean the perforations from adhering fibers by rotation in alternate directions. Also the sharp rear corners of the blades will thus become operative. V hen the corners of one end of the blades have become worn, the blades are taken out and replaced with the inner end outward.

e claim:

1. A delinter comprising a vertical rotary shaft, a set of rotary pivoted blades operatively mounted thereon and operable in parallel horizontal planes, an arcuate perforated vertical cylindrical cage encircling said rotor, an enclosing, non-perforated wall spaced from said cage forming a vertical annular cylindrical chamber subject to air suction, a top having inlet openings for air and feed delivering same inside said cage at the top, and a closed bottom receptacle for discharge of delinted hull particles.

2. A delinter comprising a vertical rotary shaft, rotary pivoted blades operable in parallel horizontal planes mounted on said shaft, an arcuate vertical cylindrical cage having a vertically serrated plate and closelyencircling said blades, an enclosing non-perforate wall spaced from said cage and forming a vertical annular cylindrical chamber subject to air suction, a header interposed in said wall and having a front outlet for fibers under air suction, and a top having inlet openings for air and feed respectively and adapted to deliver air and feed upon the top faces and spaces between the side edges of said blades.

3. A delinter comprising a vertical rotary shaft, rotary pivoted delint-ing blades operable in parallel horizontal planes operably mounted on said shaft, a base plate, top plate and middle plate connected by columns, the opposing faces of the top and middle plates having two vertical circular shoulders concentric with the shaft but in different cylindrical planes and radii,a vertical arcuate cage in detachable sections mounted against the inner shoulder, and vertical detachabale wall plates mounted against the outer shoulder and forming with the top and bottom plates an annular chamber subject to air suction and affording access to said blades on removal of adjacent sections of wall plates and cage, substantially as described.

4. A delinter comprising vertical columns, horizontal top and middle plates connected by said columns, rotary pivoted blades operable in horizontal planes mounted between said plates, a cage and enclosing wall plates for said blades,said top plate having a series of inlet openings at each side of a feed inlet opening adapted to deliver air currents operatively and feed respectively upon the horizontal faces and spaces between said blades.

planes, horizontal plates above and below said blades, a vertical cage in sections mounted between said plates, and vertical wall plates enclosing said cage and detachably mounted between said plates,one of said wall plates being hinged and adapted to form a swinging door for access to the cage, sections for removal and replacement thereof substantially as described.

6. A delinter comprising a vertical rotary shaft, pivoted blades operable in horizontal planes, horizontal plates above and below said blades, a vertical cage in detachable sections mount-ed between said plates, vertical columns connecting said plates, vertical channel posts fastened to said columns, arcuate wall plates having flange side edges detachably secured to said posts, and detachable fastenings securing: said wall flanges to said posts.

7. A delinter comprising a vertical rotary shaft, pivoted blades operably mounted on said shaft and o aerable in horizontal )lanes horizontal plates above and below said blades, an encircling vertical arcuate cage in sections detachabl'y mounted between said plates, a vertical wall in sections spaced from and enclosing said cage,one section of said cage being formed by a serrated plate slidably engaging the sides of adjacent sections as guides,-and adjusting means for said serrated plate section.

8. A delinter comprising a vertical rotary shaft, pivoted blades operable in horizontal planes, horizontal plates above and below said blades, an encircling vertical arcuate cage in sections mounted between said plates, and a vertical wall in sect-ions of greater height than the cage sections spaced from and enclosing said cage,said upper and lower plates having on their opposing faces circular recesses forming vertical shoulders in dilierent horizontal and cylindrical planes and inlet and outlet openings in the upper and lower plates respectively.

9. A delinter comprisin a top plate and a base plateboth having apertured corner lugs and shaft bearings,-vertical pipe columns between said plates, vertical rods passing through said lugs and inside said columns, a middle plate having corresponding lugs embracing said columns, wall plat having a sine connection outlet for air suction and fiber discharge, a cage mounted between said top and middle plates, and pivoted blades operable in horizontal planes and cooperating with said cage.

10. The hereindescribed method of delinting cotton seed hulls comprising changing a gravitating stream of feed material into a vertically cylindrical spirally gravitating film stream, and frictionally retarding such stream successively at certain points of its spiral gravitating travel causing a rolling over motion in the direction of travel at and near said points and separation of the detached ti er and shells as they travel spirally beyond said points, substantially as and for the purpose described.

11. The hereindescribed method of (lerinting cotton seed hulls comprising forming a continuous flow of said material into a con tinuous vertically cylindrical spirally gravitating stream, subjecting it toair suction outward, and retarding the outer particles at certain points at different vertical heights causing loosening of shells and fiber and a rolling-over outward movement of the innor particles facilitating separation of the loose fibers from the delinted hull particles at and beyond said points in their spiral travel. substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, we have aflixed our signatures.

CECIL L'BOTHlVELL. KIRTLAND O. B'ARTGN. ROSCOE C. BARTON. 

